International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship: categories and HSK scores in the 2025 guidelines
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
The International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship is set up by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) for Chinese language teachers and students outside China. Its 2025 guidelines list six study categories, and every one of them asks for an HSK score. The scores below are from those guidelines, the most recent edition we found on CLEC's website when we checked on 10 October 2026.
Who can apply
Applicants must be non-Chinese citizens aged 16 to 35 on 1 September 2025. For in-service Chinese language teachers the limit may be extended to 45, and bachelor's applicants should in most cases be younger than 25. Applications need a reference letter from the head of a Recommending Institution. The guidelines name Confucius Institutes, independent Confucius Classrooms, selected HSK test centres, foreign educational institutions, Chinese departments and teacher training programmes at foreign universities, professional associations for Chinese language teaching, and Chinese embassies and consulates.
The six categories
| Category | Funded for up to | HSK and HSKK required |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor's degree in International Chinese Language Education | Four academic years | 200 on HSK Level 6 and 60 on HSKK Advanced |
| Master's degree in International Chinese Language Education | Two academic years | 210 on HSK Level 5 and 60 on HSKK Intermediate |
| Bachelor's degree in International Chinese Language Education | Four academic years | 210 on HSK Level 4 and 60 on HSKK Intermediate |
| One-year study programme | Eleven months | Depends on the field: 270 on HSK Level 3 plus an HSKK score for international Chinese language education; 180 on HSK Level 4 and 60 on HSKK Intermediate for Chinese language and literature, history or philosophy; 210 on HSK Level 3 for Chinese language study |
| One-semester study programme | Five months | 180 on HSK Level 3 plus an HSKK score; for traditional Chinese medicine or Taiji culture, an HSK score |
| Four-week study programme | Four weeks | An HSK score, with no minimum stated |
The guidelines also mention joint programme scholarships, funded together with partner institutions, and scholarships for online programmes.
What it covers
The scholarship supports tuition, accommodation, a living allowance and comprehensive medical insurance. Four-week students do not receive the living allowance.
| Recipient | Monthly living allowance |
|---|---|
| Undergraduates, one-year and one-semester students | RMB 2,500 |
| Master's students | RMB 3,000 |
| Doctoral students | RMB 3,500 |
Deadlines in the 2025 guidelines
| Programme starts | Applicant's deadline (Beijing time) |
|---|---|
| July 2025 | 15 April |
| September 2025 | 15 May |
| December 2025 | 15 September |
| March 2026 | 31 October |
These dates belong to the 2025 cycle. Do not carry them over to a later year without checking the new guidelines.
Where to apply
The guidelines say registration is online, on the scholarship section of CLEC's website. CLEC's programme page gives pmplatform.chinese.cn as the address applicants log in to. A second address that CLEC's 2025 announcement mentions, cis.chinese.cn, forwarded to that same platform when we opened it.
Questions people ask
Can I apply without an HSK score?
Not under the 2025 guidelines. Every category asks for one. The four-week programme is the lightest: it requires an HSK score but sets no minimum.
Is this the same as the Chinese Government Scholarship?
No. It is run by CLEC under its own guidelines, with its own categories, scores and recommending institutions. The Chinese Government Scholarship is administered by the China Scholarship Council. See the four routes.
Have the guidelines for the next cycle been published?
When we checked CLEC's website on 10 October 2026, the 2025 guidelines were the latest edition we could find there. Check the site for a newer notice before you apply.
Source: Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 (PDF) and the scholarship programme page, Center for Language Education and Cooperation. Checked 10 October 2026. This page is an unofficial summary and is not published by CLEC.